NASCAR Cup Series Preview: Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart at Atlanta Motor Speedway
The NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs kick off Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway with the Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart. Here are the storylines to watch going into the first race of the postseason.
Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart
Date: September 8
Track: Atlanta Motor Speedway (Hampton, Georgia)
Time: 3 p.m. ET
TV: USA Network
Weekend Schedule
Date | Time | Session | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
Sat., Sep. 7 | 12:30 p.m. ET | Qualifying | USA Network |
Sun., Sep. 8 | 3 p.m. ET | Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart | USA Network |
NASCAR Viewing Guide: Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart at Atlanta Motor Speedway
Starting Lineup: Top 10
Pos | No. | Driver |
|---|---|---|
1 | 34 | Michael McDowell |
2 | 12 | Ryan Blaney |
3 | 38 | Todd Gilliland |
4 | 4 | Josh Berry |
5 | 2 | Austin Cindric |
6 | 5 | Kyle Larson |
7 | 22 | Joey Logano |
8 | 3 | Austin Dillon |
9 | 24 | William Byron |
10 | 14 | Chase Briscoe |
READ MORE: Michael McDowell Scores Atlanta Pole, Denny Hamlin Starting Last
Superspeedway Racing Adds Excitement to Playoff Opener
The NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs begin at Atlanta Motor Speedway, which joined the ranks of Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway as the series' "superspeedway" pack racing tracks in 2022.
Following the 2021 season, Atlanta Motor Speedway was repaved, with banking in the corners increased to 28 degrees. The new racing surface and increased banking created a new superspeedway on the calendar and all the thrills that come with it.
Since the Atlanta Motor Speedway reprofiling, the average finish of the track's three green-flag finishes has been .113 seconds. None have been closer than the finish to the Ambetter Health 400 this February, when Daniel Suarez beat Ryan Blaney to the line by 0.003 seconds in a three-wide finish with Kyle Busch.
NASCAR Playoffs Open With Trio of Challenging Tracks
The first round of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs will whittle the field down from 16 competitors to 12. All three venues in the first round present a unique challenge, starting with Atlanta's pack racing. If racers can manage that, they'll then be greeted by the road course at Watkins Glen International before 500 laps under the lights at the short track of Bristol Motor Speedway.
Several of this year's title contenders have stated their apprehension regarding the first round of this year's playoffs. Typically a chance for front-runners to log some points to put themselves in position for later rounds, none of this year's three tracks in the Round of 16 will give anyone a chance to rest on their laurels.
However, that also means the drivers who can best acclimate to all of the challenges they'll face over the next three races will gain prime position moving forward into the Round of 12 and beyond. While a champion won't be crowned until the final race at Phoenix Raceway, someone's title shots could be erased
Still Time For Non-Playoff Drivers to Shine
While the focus will turn to NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs contenders over the final 10 races, these events are still important to the drivers who failed to qualify for the postseason. There is no doubt several of those drivers could play spoiler and earn victories over the course of the playoffs.
Certainly the top driver on that list will be Kyle Busch, who finished second to Chase Briscoe in last week's Cook Out Southern 500 and narrowly missed out on the playoffs as a result. Busch has never had a winless season in the NASCAR Cup Series since he joined full-time in 2005, and the Richard Childress Racing driver will be eager to change that.
Atlanta in particular is an opportunity for several of the series' better superspeedway drivers to snag a win. Corey LaJoie has a pair of top-five finishes at Atlanta since 2022. Drivers such as Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. and Bubba Wallace have won at NASCAR's other superspeedways in recent years, and both finished in the top 10 at Atlanta earlier this year.
In short, much like at Daytona two races ago, superspeedway racing has a tendency to produce surprise winners, which makes this a perfect chance to shine for drivers outside of the playoffs.
ZACH EVANS